Troglodyte homes speckle the limestone bluff as an amazing testament to the creativity and ingenuity of the generations hundreds of years before us. Carved and built as the village to house Queen Margaret of Anjou and her posy of 500, the caves were excavated further to extract limestone for the Chateau de Saumur and later used as mushroom breeding grounds, according to signs posted along the trail,

View of a small village from the bottom of a small hill lined in grape vines. Most of my pictures didn’t turn out due to a lack of sunlight.

After meandering through the troglodyte village, the trail begins snaking through the stunning landscape, winding through wooded forests, vineyards open fields and small villages (gorgeous at sunset, in my experience). Several colors signifying different lengths and purposes mark the trail, but if you stick to the yellow markers, you won’t get lost.

An extraordinary views of stunning variety, if you’re planning to pass time in the Loire, I highly recommend spending a few hours outside. The trail is near several caves and château’s if you’re interested in breaking up the walk. Otherwise, bring a bar of chocolate and bottle of water, and enjoy the views.

The trail is easily accessible from the main road, with parking just under the road on the Loire. The trailhead is only marked with a small wooden sign behind the bloulangerie ATM.